Sunday, January 31, 2016
Week 4 Reading Reflection
For this week's assigned reading, I enjoyed reading about the basic concept of innovation. I was surprised to find out about the various types of innovation in action. I did not know that concepts such as extension, duplication, and synthesis were actually considered forms of this idea. Although I would say that the concept of duplication did confuse me quite a bit, just because it speaks of the creative replication of an existing concept, and as far as I know, creative and replication are practically polar opposites of one another. So that would be one of the two questions that I would ask the author, simply because I would want to understand how this concept relates to innovation. Another question that I would ask the author about would be whether or not he/she considers having a certain climate to be an agent of creativity, because I would want to know just how much ones surroundings can affect their creative process. Other than that though, I don't feel that the author was technically wrong about anything, I just did question some of his/her points, that I already mentioned.
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Top 5 World Problems
1. Poverty is a world issue that has unfortunately been around for a long amount of time now. I feel like the unequal distribution of pretty much everything there is to own, is the cause of this problem.
2. When it comes to the health of the world's people, it is sad to say that many infectious diseases have taken a large population of it by storm for a while.
3. Terrorism is a huge problem in the world, especially for this generation. I think war and violence in general have been a huge part of this issue.
4. Gender inequality is a broad issue that too exists in our world. In certain places, women are not paid the same amount of money as men are, for doing the same jobs, and in other parts of the world, women are not allowed to partake in the same activities as men, such as driving.
5. Animal cruelty in the farming industry is an issue that arises everywhere, with the way companies produce and process their meats.
Solutions:
1. There are other less violent and diplomatic ways to sort out international problems, such as terrorism. Politicians and world leaders can organize meetings to discuss this prevalent issue.
2. Laws should be put in to place to change this amount of inequality between men and women.
3. There should be strict regulations that ban these acts of cruelty against animals in the food industry.
4. Diseases such as AIDS, influenza, and meningitis can be reduced with adequate amount of healthcare to people everywhere.
5. Less overcrowding of certain places could be a way to resolve poverty, along with more equal distribution of belongings such as food and clothes.
I selected poverty as my top problem because it is an issue that has been so relevant everywhere for so long. No matter how much technological progress and wealth that is gained in our world, poverty has always been present in a large majority of the world's people. My top solution however, was for terrorism just because I feel like it rests in misunderstanding and ignorance of people from different cultures and can possibly be resolved by proper, non-violent discussion. Even though laws and strict bans can also be implemented for my issues, I still feel like the solution to terrorism takes less work to implement.
2. When it comes to the health of the world's people, it is sad to say that many infectious diseases have taken a large population of it by storm for a while.
3. Terrorism is a huge problem in the world, especially for this generation. I think war and violence in general have been a huge part of this issue.
4. Gender inequality is a broad issue that too exists in our world. In certain places, women are not paid the same amount of money as men are, for doing the same jobs, and in other parts of the world, women are not allowed to partake in the same activities as men, such as driving.
5. Animal cruelty in the farming industry is an issue that arises everywhere, with the way companies produce and process their meats.
Solutions:
1. There are other less violent and diplomatic ways to sort out international problems, such as terrorism. Politicians and world leaders can organize meetings to discuss this prevalent issue.
2. Laws should be put in to place to change this amount of inequality between men and women.
3. There should be strict regulations that ban these acts of cruelty against animals in the food industry.
4. Diseases such as AIDS, influenza, and meningitis can be reduced with adequate amount of healthcare to people everywhere.
5. Less overcrowding of certain places could be a way to resolve poverty, along with more equal distribution of belongings such as food and clothes.
I selected poverty as my top problem because it is an issue that has been so relevant everywhere for so long. No matter how much technological progress and wealth that is gained in our world, poverty has always been present in a large majority of the world's people. My top solution however, was for terrorism just because I feel like it rests in misunderstanding and ignorance of people from different cultures and can possibly be resolved by proper, non-violent discussion. Even though laws and strict bans can also be implemented for my issues, I still feel like the solution to terrorism takes less work to implement.
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Identifying Local Opportunities
1. Apartment demand proves costly
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A9366D47EFAD60? p=AWNB
I think that this article is primarily about the recent and large increase in apartment mortgages in The U.S. Basically, people are buying less and less houses, and thus causing more of a demand for apartments and renting instead. As an effect of this shift from the norm, apartment renters have begun to feel "cost-burdened", which I feel is the main issue of this article. "The housing market defines a "cost-burdened renter" as someone who spends at least 30 percent of his or her income on housing. At 30 to 50 percent, renters are deemed "moderately burdened." If they pay more than 50 percent, they are counted as "severely burdened."
2. Snowstorm disrupts flights in S. Florida
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8E37AB077C6A0?p=AWNB
To me, this article is mainly about all of the flights that were recently canceled in the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, due to the extreme weather in the region. In addition to that, there were many flights also delayed in this airport because of the snowstorm in the east. This therefore, heavily slows down travel, leaving problems for all those passengers waiting for their flight.
3. Jobless claims hit 6-month high
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8E37879B1BEB0?p=AWNB
I feel that this article as on the high number of people seeking unemployment benefits in recent times, as a result of being laid off, specifically during the winter holidays. This is because, as the author indicates, many retail employers are laid off, therefore also being the ones who have the problem. Ultimately, this issue is divided between the employees being laid off and the time period in which they are laid off in.
4. KitKat in no shape for trademark
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A88E9A1E3FE968?p=AWNB
This article all comes down to rivalry in my opinion. This rivalry is specifically between a couple of chocolate brands trying to trademark the chocolate bar, "KitKat". While Nestle and Cadbury both tried to trademark this bar, Britain's High Court ruled that it hasn't acquired a distinct enough character to satisfy trademark requirements. Thus, leaving both of these brands out of this pursuit. Still, Nestle planned to appeal, saying that the shape of the bar had been used in Britain for more than 80 years.
5. No consensus on privacy issue
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8380A091AFA78?p=AWNB
I feel that this article surrounds the topic of privacy in our society today. Nowadays, pretty much every place there is to know, from one's car to their home, is public property, and can be seen by practically everyone. And although there are certain benefits to public display of information, such as lower energy bills, people still do believe that privacy has become a non-existent idea now, and needs to be given more importance.
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A9366D47EFAD60? p=AWNB
I think that this article is primarily about the recent and large increase in apartment mortgages in The U.S. Basically, people are buying less and less houses, and thus causing more of a demand for apartments and renting instead. As an effect of this shift from the norm, apartment renters have begun to feel "cost-burdened", which I feel is the main issue of this article. "The housing market defines a "cost-burdened renter" as someone who spends at least 30 percent of his or her income on housing. At 30 to 50 percent, renters are deemed "moderately burdened." If they pay more than 50 percent, they are counted as "severely burdened."
2. Snowstorm disrupts flights in S. Florida
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8E37AB077C6A0?p=AWNB
To me, this article is mainly about all of the flights that were recently canceled in the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, due to the extreme weather in the region. In addition to that, there were many flights also delayed in this airport because of the snowstorm in the east. This therefore, heavily slows down travel, leaving problems for all those passengers waiting for their flight.
3. Jobless claims hit 6-month high
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8E37879B1BEB0?p=AWNB
I feel that this article as on the high number of people seeking unemployment benefits in recent times, as a result of being laid off, specifically during the winter holidays. This is because, as the author indicates, many retail employers are laid off, therefore also being the ones who have the problem. Ultimately, this issue is divided between the employees being laid off and the time period in which they are laid off in.
4. KitKat in no shape for trademark
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A88E9A1E3FE968?p=AWNB
This article all comes down to rivalry in my opinion. This rivalry is specifically between a couple of chocolate brands trying to trademark the chocolate bar, "KitKat". While Nestle and Cadbury both tried to trademark this bar, Britain's High Court ruled that it hasn't acquired a distinct enough character to satisfy trademark requirements. Thus, leaving both of these brands out of this pursuit. Still, Nestle planned to appeal, saying that the shape of the bar had been used in Britain for more than 80 years.
5. No consensus on privacy issue
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8380A091AFA78?p=AWNB
I feel that this article surrounds the topic of privacy in our society today. Nowadays, pretty much every place there is to know, from one's car to their home, is public property, and can be seen by practically everyone. And although there are certain benefits to public display of information, such as lower energy bills, people still do believe that privacy has become a non-existent idea now, and needs to be given more importance.
Week 3 Reading Reflection
For this assigned reading, I would say that what stood out to me the most was the concept of entrepreneurial cognition. I did not know that there was actually a mindset for an entrepreneur, in which there are knowledge structures that people use to make assessments, judgments, or decisions involving opportunity evaluation, venture creations, and growth. This idea definitely surprised me in the text and allowed me to learn more about this topic. One part of this reading section that was confusing to me though, was the one about entrepreneurial stress. The author defines the word stress as we all know it to be generally, but identifies it as entrepreneurial stress as well, which makes me wonder just what specifically is different in regular stress and entrepreneurial stress. So in terms of what two questions I would ask the author about the text, this would be one of them. Another question that I would ask the author would be whether or not having an unrealistic optimism as an entrepreneur is considered a bad thing or a good thing. I feel that this would've been the only thing that I would've disagreed with the author on a bit, as I look at unrealistic optimism as more of a positive aspect than a negative one, as the author depicts it in this book.
Friday, January 22, 2016
Very Short Interview No.1
The entrepreneur that I will be interviewing for this assignment is someone that started a general contracting construction company in 1996, that today serves diverse international and local institutional customers with general contracting design-build and construction management services. Although what I feel specifically makes Faisal Naseem an entrepreneur is the fact that his company, DINSONS Private Limited became the first ever Pakistan based contractor to be recognized by the Design Build Institute of America with the 2012 Design-Build Honor Award, and the fact that besides working for the Pakistani government, his company also works as a federal prime contractor with the United States Army Corps of Engineers in Pakistan. This not only sets Naseem's company apart from others, but also provides for the good of many people.
1. Why did you choose to be an entrepreneur? I chose entrepreneurship because of two reasons:
-I wanted to work for myself
-Entrepreneurship seemed to be more exciting of a challenge than regualar 9-5
2. What is your favorite thing about entrepreneurship? There are no limits, the canvas is as vast as one's imagination
3. What is your personal definition of entrepreneurship? Entrepreneurship is a great space in commerce that encourages creativity, for survival as well as success.
After completing this interview, I truly learned about all of the positives that entrepreneurship can bring to one's life as well as others. Not only does it bring out the creativity and drive in you, it also brings out the contentment of helping others. I was definitely surprised by the far reach that entrepreneurship can have as well, with businesses continuing to be successful in many parts of the world.
1. Why did you choose to be an entrepreneur? I chose entrepreneurship because of two reasons:
-I wanted to work for myself
-Entrepreneurship seemed to be more exciting of a challenge than regualar 9-5
2. What is your favorite thing about entrepreneurship? There are no limits, the canvas is as vast as one's imagination
3. What is your personal definition of entrepreneurship? Entrepreneurship is a great space in commerce that encourages creativity, for survival as well as success.
After completing this interview, I truly learned about all of the positives that entrepreneurship can bring to one's life as well as others. Not only does it bring out the creativity and drive in you, it also brings out the contentment of helping others. I was definitely surprised by the far reach that entrepreneurship can have as well, with businesses continuing to be successful in many parts of the world.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
World's Biggest Problems
1. Terrorism is a huge problem in the world, especially for this generation. I think war and violence in general have been a huge part of this issue. There are other less violent and diplomatic ways to sort out international problems.
2. Poverty is another world issue that has unfortunately been around for a long amount of time now. I feel like that unequal distribution of pretty much everything there is to own, is the cause of this problem. Less overcrowding of certain places could also be a way to resolve it.
3. I would consider racism to be an issue in our world as well. Spreading information and the truth about this topic would reduce all of the ignorance that causes this issue to occur.
4. The hunting and poaching of animals all over our planet is a big issue that has continued for many years. Although there have been punishments and laws to reduce it, they haven't been enforced or strict enough to lessen the endangerment and extinction of many species.
5. Global warming and climate change is a large phenomenon of our time that has to be addressed more often. Most natural disasters have been linked to global warming, and there are ways that can be changed, such as creating less toxic waste as individuals, in addition to as groups.
6. Domestic violence also comprises this list of world issues, I believe. In households everywhere, this problem has come up. I think that one's background and upbringing is the cause of this and proper education can fix it.
7. When it comes to the health of the world's people, it is sad to say that many infectious diseases have taken a large population of it by storm for a while. Diseases such as AIDS, influenza, and meningitis can be reduced with adequate amount of healthcare to people everywhere.
8. The amount of refugees in this world has been ever so on the rise lately, and I believe it to be a significant issue. In order for this to end, there has to be less social unrest and political unjust all over the world.
9. Gender inequality is a broad issue that too exists in our world. In certain places, women are not paid the same amount of money as men are, for doing the same jobs, and in other parts of the world, women are not allowed to partake in the same activities as men, such as driving. Laws should be put in to place to change this amount of inequality.
10. Animal cruelty in the farming industry is an issue that arises everywhere, with the way companies produce and process their meats. There should be strict regulations that ban these acts.
2. Poverty is another world issue that has unfortunately been around for a long amount of time now. I feel like that unequal distribution of pretty much everything there is to own, is the cause of this problem. Less overcrowding of certain places could also be a way to resolve it.
3. I would consider racism to be an issue in our world as well. Spreading information and the truth about this topic would reduce all of the ignorance that causes this issue to occur.
4. The hunting and poaching of animals all over our planet is a big issue that has continued for many years. Although there have been punishments and laws to reduce it, they haven't been enforced or strict enough to lessen the endangerment and extinction of many species.
5. Global warming and climate change is a large phenomenon of our time that has to be addressed more often. Most natural disasters have been linked to global warming, and there are ways that can be changed, such as creating less toxic waste as individuals, in addition to as groups.
6. Domestic violence also comprises this list of world issues, I believe. In households everywhere, this problem has come up. I think that one's background and upbringing is the cause of this and proper education can fix it.
7. When it comes to the health of the world's people, it is sad to say that many infectious diseases have taken a large population of it by storm for a while. Diseases such as AIDS, influenza, and meningitis can be reduced with adequate amount of healthcare to people everywhere.
8. The amount of refugees in this world has been ever so on the rise lately, and I believe it to be a significant issue. In order for this to end, there has to be less social unrest and political unjust all over the world.
9. Gender inequality is a broad issue that too exists in our world. In certain places, women are not paid the same amount of money as men are, for doing the same jobs, and in other parts of the world, women are not allowed to partake in the same activities as men, such as driving. Laws should be put in to place to change this amount of inequality.
10. Animal cruelty in the farming industry is an issue that arises everywhere, with the way companies produce and process their meats. There should be strict regulations that ban these acts.
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Week 2 Reading Reflection
After completing the assigned reading for this class, an element that definitely stood out the most to me was the explanation of entrepreneurship as being much more than simply creating a business, which is what I had believed up until now. The explanation that the book gives about entrepreneurs taking risks and having a certain mindset or perspective to change their ideas in to reality really gave me a completely different and new view on this topic. Although in addition to this, there was a part of the reading that did confuse me a bit. This was in the section of gazelles, where the textbook speaks of the amount of gazelles that actually survive. Since this number was zero, I was wondering how their continues to be economic growth through them, as they all end up withering and dying off. So that would probably be something that I'd question the textbook's author about, along with asking about the macro and micro views to entrepreneurship. I would ask the author which view would they consider to be most important and resourceful when going about an entrepreneurial venture. Besides these questions though, there was not something in this chapter that I would say I disagreed with the author about, partly because this topic is relatively new to me so I didn't have much previous knowledge to base my opinion on.
Bug List
1. The mailing service having issues such as the lengthy amount of time to mail things and having the package not reaching, through confusion between all the parties involved in the mail.
-There are too many people/parties involved in mailing a package, and there are also a lot of people mailing things in general, which causes this problem to occur.
2. The RTS bus system not having accurate predictions of arrival times of buses to certain places.
-There are a lot of routes on this app, which makes it tough for an accurate prediction all the time.
3. Cars not being able to convey the exact amount of miles remaining in your car, and just giving a range or prediction that constantly changes as well.
-Depending on how much or how fast you drive your car could be the cause of this.
4. Headphones getting torn apart and not fully working after a short period of time.
-The quality of material used for making headphones may not be strong enough.
5. Triple A not being of quick service when your car has broken down or has a flat tire.
-The amount of people in need of Triple A at the same time could be the cause of this.
6. IPhones losing their amount of battery life in a very short amount of time, compared to other phones.
-The amount of apps and such on the iPhone might take up a lot of the battery usage, thus making it die faster.
7. Unpredictable cellular bills at the end of the month, with unnecessary additional charges added.
-Unmentioned billing info could be the root cause of the unpredictable bills.
8. Printers being unreliable with sometimes printing only half of the information, or printing it backwards.
-Certain unknown gimmicks with printers could cause these printing mishaps.
9. Cell phone cases not really protecting the phone when it falls.
-Some of the cases that are made nowadays are for the fashion and look rather than the protection and sturdiness, causing this issue to arise.
10. College textbook prices being ridiculously high.
-Certain classes containing a lot of information in the textbook could cause for the high prices of their textbooks.
11. Big food corporations like Tyson not regulating the way their meats are processed.
-These corporations basically only focus on the taste and sales of their product and then forget about the morality in how their meat is processed.
12. The amount of parking available to UF students being much less than the amount of decals sold.
-The desire for selling as many decals causes the universities to be at a loss of parking spots to match that amount.
13. Hair ties and scrunchies breaking too easily.
-The type of material used to make these does not contain the strength of holding thick hair, for example.
14. Items that have extremely hard to open packaging.
-Though these items are packaged well enough to successfully keep all the items safe and sound inside, the effort required to open them is not easy.
15. Flimsy grocery shopping bags.
-The low price for making these kinds of bags causes for the inadequate material to actually hold together all of the grocery items.
16. CD's and/or DVD's not working when they are a little dusty or not completely clean.
-The sensitivity of the CD or DVD causes for problems in using them to play something.
17. Computers and laptops needing to install Adobe Flash for practically anything.
-The importance that is put in having Adobe Flash to work things is the root cause of this problem.
18. Certain computers having to exit from the main screen in order to restart and finish updates.
-Some companies like Windows, constantly have to update their software, which causes this problem.
19. Carpet floors becoming dirty way too fast, as compared to wood or tile.
-Carpets are not durable enough to stand different things like shoes walking on them.
20. Parking plazas and parking spots being too tiny for space to reverse and turn around to get back on the road.
-The amount of space to move around in a parking plaza isn't really considered in this process.
The difficulty I had in coming up with this list was quite high because I am not used to thinking like this and don't really remember all of the issues I had with certain products when looking back. But once I began writing this reflection, several similar instances in which I was exposed to service and product bugs did come back in to my head. I could then more easily go from problems I had with services I use more often, such as phones and computers.
-There are too many people/parties involved in mailing a package, and there are also a lot of people mailing things in general, which causes this problem to occur.
2. The RTS bus system not having accurate predictions of arrival times of buses to certain places.
-There are a lot of routes on this app, which makes it tough for an accurate prediction all the time.
3. Cars not being able to convey the exact amount of miles remaining in your car, and just giving a range or prediction that constantly changes as well.
-Depending on how much or how fast you drive your car could be the cause of this.
4. Headphones getting torn apart and not fully working after a short period of time.
-The quality of material used for making headphones may not be strong enough.
5. Triple A not being of quick service when your car has broken down or has a flat tire.
-The amount of people in need of Triple A at the same time could be the cause of this.
6. IPhones losing their amount of battery life in a very short amount of time, compared to other phones.
-The amount of apps and such on the iPhone might take up a lot of the battery usage, thus making it die faster.
7. Unpredictable cellular bills at the end of the month, with unnecessary additional charges added.
-Unmentioned billing info could be the root cause of the unpredictable bills.
8. Printers being unreliable with sometimes printing only half of the information, or printing it backwards.
-Certain unknown gimmicks with printers could cause these printing mishaps.
9. Cell phone cases not really protecting the phone when it falls.
-Some of the cases that are made nowadays are for the fashion and look rather than the protection and sturdiness, causing this issue to arise.
10. College textbook prices being ridiculously high.
-Certain classes containing a lot of information in the textbook could cause for the high prices of their textbooks.
11. Big food corporations like Tyson not regulating the way their meats are processed.
-These corporations basically only focus on the taste and sales of their product and then forget about the morality in how their meat is processed.
12. The amount of parking available to UF students being much less than the amount of decals sold.
-The desire for selling as many decals causes the universities to be at a loss of parking spots to match that amount.
13. Hair ties and scrunchies breaking too easily.
-The type of material used to make these does not contain the strength of holding thick hair, for example.
14. Items that have extremely hard to open packaging.
-Though these items are packaged well enough to successfully keep all the items safe and sound inside, the effort required to open them is not easy.
15. Flimsy grocery shopping bags.
-The low price for making these kinds of bags causes for the inadequate material to actually hold together all of the grocery items.
16. CD's and/or DVD's not working when they are a little dusty or not completely clean.
-The sensitivity of the CD or DVD causes for problems in using them to play something.
17. Computers and laptops needing to install Adobe Flash for practically anything.
-The importance that is put in having Adobe Flash to work things is the root cause of this problem.
18. Certain computers having to exit from the main screen in order to restart and finish updates.
-Some companies like Windows, constantly have to update their software, which causes this problem.
19. Carpet floors becoming dirty way too fast, as compared to wood or tile.
-Carpets are not durable enough to stand different things like shoes walking on them.
20. Parking plazas and parking spots being too tiny for space to reverse and turn around to get back on the road.
-The amount of space to move around in a parking plaza isn't really considered in this process.
The difficulty I had in coming up with this list was quite high because I am not used to thinking like this and don't really remember all of the issues I had with certain products when looking back. But once I began writing this reflection, several similar instances in which I was exposed to service and product bugs did come back in to my head. I could then more easily go from problems I had with services I use more often, such as phones and computers.
Thursday, January 14, 2016
My Entrepreneurship Story
Not too long ago, three of my classmates and I had the opportunity to create a business venture that we would be able to showcase to our peers and in a way, sell the idea to people. We thought of developing a service that specialized in less expensive trips for college students. We named it "Roam" and later went on to create a website, brochures, and business plan for it. This entire process brought me so much exposure to the concept of entrepreneurship and the fact that an idea can be taken so far to potentially become a success.
Registering for ENT 3003 seemed like such a new experience for me, as I have never taken an online class before and haven't really learned that much about entrepreneurship in general. That is why I thought that this class would be unique for me and would also teach me basic skills about this subject I am not so commonly exposed to in school. I felt that registering for ENT 3003 would make me much more familiar with the entrepreneur in me.
Registering for ENT 3003 seemed like such a new experience for me, as I have never taken an online class before and haven't really learned that much about entrepreneurship in general. That is why I thought that this class would be unique for me and would also teach me basic skills about this subject I am not so commonly exposed to in school. I felt that registering for ENT 3003 would make me much more familiar with the entrepreneur in me.
Introduction
Hi, my name is Minaa Omar. I'm from South Florida, near the Boca Raton area. My family and I are originally from Pakistan, and have also lived in Singapore before moving to the states. I am an Animal Sciences major and hope to attend UF's vet school in order to pursue my career in veterinary medicine. Ever since I was a kid, I have been fortunate enough to travel to many amazing places like Paris, Thailand, Mexico, and London, and I hope to get many more opportunities to travel the world in the future,
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
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